New digs for dogs
By RICHARD LIEBRECHT, SUN MEDIA
Officials at the Edmonton Humane Society can't wait to trade work boots for paws.
Their new $22-million home at 136 Avenue and 163 Street is framed, walled and windowed, and they were happy to give media a tour yesterday.
Kurt Browning - former world champion figure skater - was on hand representing the Pedigree Adoption drive, raising money for the new shelter.
Most of the walls and floors are still bare, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of society executive director Stephanie McDonald.
"The day I put the first animal in here will be the greatest day, because I know I'll be putting it in a safe environment," she said. "It's been a long, long process."
The building is slated to open this spring - about a year later than stated when the project was first dreamed up.
McDonald is touting the facility as a professional-grade site. The shelter's surgery rooms have "the same equipment as in the hospital," she said during the tour. There's also an expanded list of training and education services compared to the current facility at 12251 67 St., which has about half the floor space.
Features include a doggy daycare, a self-serve dog bath, and an outdoor off-leash park.
The added spaces and services - many designed for public use - will help raise funds from user fees and ease financial burdens brought on by the new building.
The facility's price tag has grown by $4 million since the initial design, and the facility will cost about $4.3 million to operate yearly - a fourth more than the old building.
About 40% of Humane Society funds come from donors.
But new services will also help make the pets more adoptable, said McDonald.
The society can now perform needed surgeries on animals before they are put up for adoption. Right now, she said, some pets have notes slapped on their cages warning would-be owners of the thousands of dollars in ensuing vet bills.
"People tend to walk right past those cages," she said.
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